Putting It All Together in the City of Coquitlam: Partington Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan
Note to Reader:
Partington Creek in Northeast Coquitlam is one of the last ecologically healthy streams in Metro Vancouver and boasts a salmon spawning return in the thousands. The watershed has several other fish-bearing creeks with forested headwaters.
The watershed is planned to support up to 15,000 people and features a new village centre.
The Plan details a vision for the area that was developed through extensive consultation with the community. It defines the type and location of housing and commercial buildings in the neighbourhood, outlines transportation networks, identifies natural and recreation areas, and outlines pedestrian and cycling networks.
Partington Creek Integrated Plan: A Break from Tradition
The City of Coquitlam initiated the Partington Watershed Plan in 2005. A year later, the City also initiated the Partington Neighbourhood Plan to establish the land use and form of the Partington Creek Village.
The two studies were interfaced and were working together to develop plans with common goals. In 2007, both initiatives were put on hold while the consultation process for Rainwater Management Guidelines was underway. Work on both resumed during the spring of 2009.
“Adopted by Council in July 2011, the Partington Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan showcases a culmination of efforts over the years to make the switch from traditional land development to a new approach where watershed health is considered as important as development,” reports Melony Burton, the City of Coquitlam’s Watersheds & Drainage Coordinator.
Where Watershed Health is as Important as Development Needs
“The Partington process ran generalized land use planning, watershed planning and financial modelling processes concurrently,” says Perry Staniscia, Lands and Properties Manager.
“The proposed land use pattern evolved, through an iterative process, to maximize environmental protection and rainwater management outcomes, while still meeting the financial objectives of the development.”
“The Partington Creek IWMP is a significant achievement and is expected to be instrumental in ensuring that future development activity in the watershed is congruent with the fish habitat values that currently exist in the watershed,” says Diana Trager, Area Director for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The Partington Creek IWMP received the ACEC-BC Award of Excellence in 2012.
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the watershed plan, click on Partington Creek IWMP and Partington Creek IWMP Appendices.
